Amendment blog post

AMENDMENT IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The fourth amendment states that people have the right to not have their things searched without probable cause or a warrant. This stops random searches and seizures and gives people privacy. I think that this amendment is important because it gives people a sense of protection and privacy. It also guarantees people their rights and gives them the right to not be able to have authorities randomly search and sieze their belongings. 

Earth Day

A Fierce Green Fire. Dir. Mark Kitchell. Perf. Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Van Jones and Isabel Allende. PBS, 22 Apr. 2014. PBS.org. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/a-fierce-green-fire/watch-the-film/2924/>.


"A Fierce Green Fire" is a documentary made by the American Masters that follows the environmental movement from 1960 to 2010. The film includes different acts. The Sierra Club's David Brower and his journey to stop the dams in the Grand Canyon, Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal Residents and their battle with toxic fumes, Paul Watson's campaign to save the whales, Bill McKibben and his addressing of the dangerous subject of climate change, and Chico Mendes and his battle to save the Amazon Rain Forrest. All of these acts contribute to saving our planet and it was very interesting to find out about all of these movements. It is all about environmental activism and it sheds light on the people who fight for a "living planet".

Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. 19 Jan. 2013. Blackfish Official Film Site. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://blackfishmovie.com>.

"Blackfish" is a documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite that focuses on the killer whales kept in captivity. The film mainly focuses on one of the whales named "Tilikum" who was taken into captivity at a very young age and from then on has been kept there and they show what it has done to him and the insane events that have occurred since. The film also focuses on Sea World and all that they have done to keep these killer whales in captivity to make money when that is the last place that they belong. I chose to talk about this film because when I saw it I was completely shocked and couldn't even believe what happens to the killer whales while they're kept in captivity. They belong in the wild and the film just backs that up one hundred percent. I personally would never support Sea World because of the effect that the documentary had on me. Sure, a day at Sea World would be entertaining but it is not worth keeping killer whales in captivity to give people one day of memories but costing these animals their lives. I would like for the killer whale exhibit to be taken out of SeaWorld because the animals become dangerous and it isn't safe for their trainers, or visitors, and it is killing the whales. 


"Non GMO Project." Non GMO Project. 7 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/>.

The GMO Project. GMO's or Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. This experimentation does not occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. Vermont has become the first state to make a movement towards making companies label foods that have genetically modified ingredients. GMO's are not considered safe and 60 countries around the world have tried to ban the production and sale of genetically modified foods. 

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Essay #22

One of the main characteristics of the Federal Bureaucracy Merit System is that it hires government employees based on their abilities rather than on their political connections.
Structure of the bureaucracy has to do with the aspects of society is a factor that contributes to bureaucratic independence. It has contributed to the growth of bureaucratic power and federal bureaucratic agencies now have the responsibility to execute federal law.
Complexity of public policy problems have to do with the federal bureaucracy is given discretionary authority, which basically contributes to bureaucratic independence.
Congress has the reserved power to allocate funding to all federal programs.
The Courts Judicial Review is the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional.
Interest Groups special interest groups check the power of bureaucracy with constantly monitoring and resultant publicity of actions.

Essay #21

Two provisions in the Bill of Rights that protect individuals who try to influence policy are: "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The next provision is: "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" are two things that people do to influence politics. They also use speech and press for that purpose.
Grass Roots Lobbying is attempts to influence legislation by attempting to affect the opinion of the public with respect to legislation and encouraging the audience to take action with respect to the legislation, either way the communications must refer to and reflect a view on the legislation. It implies that a group or organization originates from or maintains close connections with significant numbers of ordinary citizens or citizen leaders.
Lobbying is trying to influence decision makers. Interest groups use lobbying to pursue the interests of their members. Individuals can also lobby.
Litigation is bringing a lawsuit against an individual or organization.
A specific federal governmental regulation is that lobbyists are required to register with the clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate and indicate what group they are representing.

ssay #20

AMA

AMA targets Congress, more specifically, Medicare.

AMA is the American Medical Association. This Group is made of of Physicians and medical students, the majority of these members deal with Medicare patients or policies in practice. Since Medicare policies set standards for other insurance payers, it makes AMA a huge influence on the way Medicare is ran.
The Constituents of the AMA include doctors, medical practice offices, and they have a set of rules, policies, and procedure codes to standardize terminology. These CPC's (Current Procedural Codes) are one of the ways that all medical forms and insurance forms are filled out. Nearly all medical procedures are billed to insurers, and Medicare is the largest insurer in the US, the AMA wants to communicate efficiently with Medicare so their constituency gets paid.

(1999_2)National interest groups often target national-level policymaking institutions to achieve their policy objectives.

Select one of the following national interest groups.
- AARP
- AMA (Medical Association
- NAACP
- NAM (national assoc. of Manufacturers)

For the group you selected do each of the following.
- a identify one major national-level policymaking institution that this group targets.
- b describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a)
- c describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen and explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).

Essay #19

(1999_1)In the 1990’s presidential election campaigns have become more candidate centered and less focused on issues and party labels. The change has been attributed both to how the media cover presidential campaigns and to how candidates use the media. Identify and explain two ways in which the media have contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns. Identify and explain two ways in which presidential candidates’ use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns.


There are two ways in which the media have contributed to candidate centered presidential campaigns. One way is the use of negative commercials to defame their competitor during election time, and through getting the attention from public appearances. The other way is election profiles of all of the major candidates are covered on most of the major networks so many Americans tune in to learn about a candidate from the start. 

Essay #18

A.) A description of a characteristic of the merit system is that hiring or promotion is based on merit, experience, and qualifications.

B.) The Bureaucratic structure contributes to bureaucratic independence because it is based on merit. The complexity of public policy problems adds to bureaucratic independence because it gives authority to the bureaucracy.

C.) Congress can pass legislation affecting the bureaucracy. The courts can implement rulings that limit bureaucratic practices. Interest groups can utilize the First Amendment while partaking in Lobbying, protests, and media use.